Written Answers Monday 9 October 2006

Scottish Executive

Bridges

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to remove the toll charges on the Tay Road Bridge.

We are currently undertaking a detailed examination of the economic, social and environmental costs and impacts of retaining or removing the Tay and Forth tolls. Ministers will consider the outcomes of the study carefully before taking decisions on the way forward.

Concessionary Travel

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what view it would take of instances of pensioners with concessionary travel cards being required to go to the back of bus queues until all paying passengers have boarded.

Tavish Scott: Under no circumstances should concessionary travel scheme passengers be discriminated against in relation to fare paying passengers. However, some operators of long distance services operate a pre-booking system, and Cardholders are advised to pre-book their seats wherever this facility exists.

Concessionary Travel

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase bus capacity to cope with the demand arising from the national concessionary travel scheme.

Tavish Scott: This Scottish Government is providing substantial funding – up to £159m this year – to pay for the Scotland-wide Free Bus Scheme for Older and Disabled People. The reimbursement rate payable to bus operators takes account of both revenue forgone and additional costs which an operator might incur, including costs to provide additional capacity. The rate was agreed with the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Graduates

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the graduate endowment charge.

Nicol Stephen: There are no current plans to change the graduate endowment, other than to increase it in line with inflation each year.

Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students from Scotland have studied at foreign universities under the Erasmus programme in each year since 1998 for which figures are available, also expressed as a percentage of participating students from the United Kingdom.

Nicol Stephen: Number of Scottish students studying in foreign universities under the Erasmus programme and the percentage of participating UK students that were Scottish: 2002-03 to 2004-05

  

Year
Number of Scottish students
Number of UK students
Percentage of UK students that were Scottish


2002-03
385
5250
7.35%


2003-04
565
5490
10.26%


2004-05
605
5345
11.36%



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5 to protect confidentiality but percentages are based on unrounded counts.

  The data above includes students from all UK Higher Education Institutions.

  Prior to academic year 2002-03, data was not returned to the Scottish Executive with regard to outgoing Erasmus students although information was provided relating to the number of incoming Erasmus students.

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform will reply to my letter dated 30 August 2006 regarding my constituent, Mr T Carter of Fraserburgh.

Mr Tom McCabe: I replied to Mr Stevenson’s letter on 3 October 2006.

NHS Funding

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the new Arbuthnott formula for NHS funding to be announced and whether it will seek to have it announced to the Parliament and have it debated before approval.

Mr Andy Kerr: Over the past year, research has been undertaken to determine how the Arbuthnott Formula could be improved and refined. This research was finalised at the end of May, and the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) issued the research reports on its website ( www.nrac.scot.nhs.uk ) on 3 July 2006, with an overview document summarising the key issues, presenting options and raising questions. Feedback was sought by Friday 29 September 2006. The Committee is currently considering the consultation responses and its further work and will be submitting its recommendations to Ministers in June 2007.

  No decision on the Parliamentary handling of NRAC’s recommendations will be made until after the Committee’s recommendations have been submitted to Ministers.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive

Tavish Scott: The Inverness Southern Distributor Road is a local road and the responsibility of Highland Council.

  The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to review the trunk road network.

  The possibility of investment on the Inverness Southern Distributor Road, as a regionally significant link, is a matter for Highland Council to discuss with HITRANS in the context of the regional transport strategy.

  The Scottish Executive support HITRANS through a capital allocation of £3.53 million in the current financial year (2006-07).